Belgium’s King passes euthanization of children bill

The Belgian King, shown right, signed into law, this past February 2014, the use of euthanasia to persons under 18 years of age and those patients suffering from dementia, writes The Washington Post.

Belgium is the only country in the world, to legalize taking the lives of terminally ill children. The proposal has been put forward by the ruling Socialist Party. Supporters of the law say that a measure of this kind is a necessary one, but it can only be taken with the consent of parents.

Opponents insist that this is a very serious decision that families should not be able to choose because of the potential of them just wanting to get rid of a burden.Euthanasia, or the deliberate deprivation of human life with (though in the case of children, this could be definitely a case of parental encouragement inflicted upon the child) their permission in order to ease their suffering was legislated in Belgium in 2002, although children did not fall under the law at that time.

In 2003, 235 critically ill patients were euthanized in the country; in 2012 the number of cases has risen to 1,432. Euthanasia is also permitted (with restrictions) in the Netherlands and Luxembourg.